Under Alien Skies 7, Cold Stormy Night
by Alec Star
Summary: Final story in the 'Under Alien Skies' universe.
1. Chapter 1: Escape Velocity

**_Disclaimer_**: I don't own the concepts, I don't own the characters, I make no money, I make no sense and I get no sleep, though on a positive note I absolutely love feedback (in other words, please review).

**_Warning_**: this story is a sequel to **_Under Alien Skies - Propagation_**, if you've read that story you know what this is about, if you haven't this probably won't make much sense. You should also be warned that this story deals with adult issues up to and including rape.

**_Timeline_**: this takes place shortly after the episode '_Solitudes_'.

**_Note about the series_**: while this is the seventh and final story in the **_Under Alien Skies_** universe, the only one of those that is pretty much a must read in order to follow this one is **_Propagation_**.

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**_Under Alien Skies - Cold Stormy Night_**  
Chapter 1: Escape Velocity  
(Sam's POV) 

I can't believe that I'm still shivering, that I still feel like I'm never going to get warm but then again that is better than the alternative. In fact there's a part of me that still can't believe I'm alive. **_That_** is the real shock. I was so sure I was going to die on that ice planet, only it turns out that that 'ice planet' was actually my own... that we were on earth all along.

That is something that is going to take some getting used to, especially because it goes to show how little we can really tell about a planet by its stargate. Sure, on a rational level we've always known that when we 'explore' a new world we usually stick to the immediate vicinity of its gate, that even our most sophisticated probe has a range of only a handful of miles and that --at least when it comes to first contact missions-- we rarely go beyond the area that is literally within walking distance of the gate so we are barely scratching the surface but in spite of that we assume that we have sufficient information to make a judgment. This incident proves that we don't, it proves that our probes and assumptions can be badly mistaken.

I mean, if a probe had been sent through the Antarctica gate we would have deemed that planet to be virtually uninhabitable and probably uninhabited. We would almost certainly have sticked with something similar to my original theory about it being a planet in the middle of an ice age in which the gate had been overrun by a glacier, we would have crossed that planet off our list and we would never have looked back. That is a sobering thought, one that makes me wonder what else we could be missing whenever we dismiss a world.

Well, the good news is that at least they figured it out somehow and we are back home, back at the SGC under Janet's watchful eye. That means that I'm going to have plenty of time to think about what happened and what it all means because the bottom line is that SG-1 is not going to be going anywhere for a while... not until the colonel recovers and I know that that broken leg of his is going to take months to heal. That is definitely frustrating, especially because we had only been back on active duty for a couple of weeks.

Of course, considering that I had all but come to terms with the fact that I was going to die on that 'planet', a few months don't seem so bad... or they wouldn't seem so bad if I weren't stuck in bed second-guessing myself, going over all the different things I could have done and the clues I missed, clues that should have made me realize that we were on earth almost from the moment we set foot in that ice cave.

Sure, the possible existence of a second gate on earth was something we had never even considered before but that doesn't change the fact that if only I had been paying attention I would have realized that for once gravity felt exactly like it should, not a little stronger or a little weaker as it does on other planets, and that in turn should have been a dead give away as to the fact that we were on our own world. I mean, even though all the planets we've visited so far have had a mass that is roughly similar to that of earth --after all that is one of the most important parameters we consider before we send a team through-- that still refers to a certain range and up until now none of them has ever had a mass **_exactly_** like that of earth. There are always minor differences, differences we've learned to compensate for without really giving them much thought but still differences that are significant enough for us to perceive them.

The thing is that even though I'm a physicist and the relevance of that fact should have jumped at me right away, I just didn't think about it. I saw an ice cave and I assumed that we were stuck in an uninhabitable world with a malfunctioning gate and that assumption almost got us killed. I tried to get that DHD to work but it failed to engage, it failed to recognize the point of origin when I tried to dial home... and it never occurred to me to do something as simple as to try a different set of coordinates. That would have solved the problem but I didn't even think about it... I had no reason to consider it and that almost ended up costing us our lives.

Of course, at the time I wasn't exactly thinking clearly. The situation was desperate, the colonel was hurt, our supplies were limited, Daniel and Teal'c were nowhere to be found and we were trapped but that is no excuse, far from it. I am a soldier and in that cave I was the only member of my team that was in any shape to do anything about our circumstances, it was up to me to figure out a way to keep my team safe, to get us out of there in one piece, and in that regard I failed miserably.

That is something I'm going to have to come to terms with, just like I'm going to have to come to terms with my feelings about some of the things that happened in that cave. What's funny is that what's bothering me right now is something I didn't even think about at the time but it is also something I can't seem to be able to get out of my mind now: I ended up having no choice but to share body-heat with a member of my team, a very **_male_** member of my team. That wasn't exactly an eventuality I had contemplated since Simarka but now that I think about it I am deeply relieved by the fact that I managed to pull it off... or at least part of me is. I know that if I had stopped to consider it I would have found the whole prospect to be utterly terrifying but I didn't, I just did what I had to do without giving it a second thought and that is definitely a good sign, unfortunately it is also only half the story.

The other half is the one having to do with the colonel's actions and that is where I'm afraid that we may have a problem. The thing is that even though sharing body-heat was the logical course of action under the circumstances he never suggested it and that bothers me. Sure, that might have been due to the fact that he was pretty out of it for the most part so he may not have thought about it but there was also that stupid crack of his about his sidearm --and I am fairly certain that it really **_was_** his sidearm, though it did startle me for a moment-- and that one would seem to suggest that he was at least somewhat worried about how I was going to react to the whole thing. That is not so good because if he was aware and didn't order me to do what he must have known we had to do to stay alive then he may have been willing to jeopardize his own well-being rather than run the risk of making me uncomfortable and that is not something we can afford.

The problem is that I can't exactly go up to him and ask him about it, not now... especially not if I don't want Janet to have my hide. Right now he is **_her_** patient, he is at her mercy and that is something I know better than to mess with.

Well, at least the good news is that we survived and the whole experience is behind us... and in an odd kind of way for the first time in a really long time I finally feel like I'm really going to be able to leave Turghan behind someday, even if it doesn't happen tomorrow.

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**_Author's notes:_** Hi guys, welcome to the final story in the **_Under Alien Skies_** universe, I really appreciate your patience (and your reviews). I also wanted to take this opportunity to mention that I have a new BSG fic out today. It is 'Long Shadows' and its story id is: 3135873, in case anyone wants to take a look. 

Anyway, thanks for reading and I hope you'll like this,

Alec


	2. Chapter 2: In Control

**_For notes, warnings and disclaimers see chapter 1_**

Chapter 2: In Control  
(Janet's POV)

Well, the good news is that we are back at the SGC and Colonel O'Neill is expected to make a complete recovery though it will probably be more than two months before I can even think of clearing him for active duty and I know that's not going to be easy... for any of us. He will get bored, he will get impatient, he will fight me and the whole base will probably end up paying for it as soon as he starts feeling a little better because --unlike Sam and Daniel-- he doesn't really have anything else to keep himself busy with while he heals, to say nothing of the fact that he has all the patience of a five year-old and I'm **_not_** a pediatrician.

Still, considering the shape he was in when they got him out of that cave I think I can live with him being a pain in the ass. Right now he is stable, the internal bleeding is under control, there is no evidence of frostbite and his temperature is almost back to normal. That means I can turn my attention back to my other patient, the one who also happens to be my best friend. Sure, I know that from a medical perspective Sam's condition was never even serious --just a mild case of hypothermia and some cuts and bruises-- but that doesn't mean there is no cause for concern there because I am fairly certain that this whole experience has left her feeling more than a little shaken. In fact I suspect that by now she has probably managed to come up with about a dozen different ways to blame herself for what happened. Sure, there may have been nothing she could possibly have done to prevent the gate's malfunction in the first place but that does nothing to change the fact that she is not one to take well to being powerless and that is a problem.

The thing is that as far as I can tell she is almost obsessive about staying in control of... well, pretty much everything. That is not so unusual but at times she does take it to the extreme. As far as she is concerned **_everything_** has a scientific explanation, an explanation that leaves no room for error and that includes human error. The only problem with that theory is that she is still human and all the rationalizations in the world can't change that so there's no way for her to live up to her own standards. She can't change the fact that no matter how hard she tries there's just no way to translate from feelings to equations, just like she can't accept that --almost by definition-- feelings aren't logical. **_That_**, I suspect, is going to cause a problem here because if I know Sam she is busy even now second-guessing herself and coming up with all kinds of scenarios that should have enabled her to save the day --and the colonel-- in a perfectly logical fashion.

Sometimes I wonder if that side of her has always been there or if it only came to be as a consequence of the loss of control that represented what happened on Simarka. The truth is that I'll probably never know but if I had to guess I would say that it is probably a combination of both. Given her line of work I would say that her need to explain everything by scientific means isn't likely to be something new --not to mention that if there had been such a drastic change in her personality someone would probably have noticed almost immediately-- but at the same time I think it is highly likely that that trait has been exacerbated in recent months. After all that is only logical after what she went through because at the time rationalizations were bound to be far less painful than emotions.

Of course, the question is, if that is the case, will that change become something permanent or will she eventually get over it and allow herself to relax, to accept that she doesn't always have to be in control... and if she **_can't_** relax, is that likely to be a serious problem in the long run? I really have no way of knowing and, even if I did, the truth is that I have no way to do anything about it.

That is not an easy concept for me to come to terms with, far from it. I am a doctor and when I see someone hurting I'm used to being able to do **_something_** about it, even if that something isn't always enough --and that is particularly true when it comes to my friends, professional detachment be damned-- but this time around there is nothing I can do. Simarka happened and there's no way for me to make it unhappen or to rationalize it away --like Sam's been trying to do-- so the most I can hope to accomplish here is to be there for my friend. Whether I like it or not she is the one who has to fight her way out of the hole here and there is nothing I can do but to offer some encouragement.

The thing is that I can clearly remember what it was like to be the one trying to make it out and it was anything but fun, though the circumstances were different. Back when I first got divorced I was a mess. I had been under my husband's thumb for years --having to ask for permission to do something as basic as buy myself a pair of shoes and then being made to feel guilty for daring to want something for myself-- that by the time I finally gathered the courage to leave I didn't even know who I was. I had been putting myself second for so long that I couldn't really imagine doing anything else, that I had a hard time coming to terms with something as basic as the fact that my life was actually mine.

Sure, in a way that sounds incredibly ordinary and I know it can't even begin to compare to what Sam's been going through but the thing is that I do remember what it was like to feel that I was drowning, that I couldn't even tell which way was up... and I also remember how at the time I was desperately trying to cling to anything that could possibly provide me with some semblance of order amidst the chaos. **_That_** is the part I suspect is not all that different from Sam's current need to rationalize **_everything_**.

The thing is that I really wish I could help her but I can't. In the end this is her hole to crawl out of and there's nothing I can do to change that. That is the part I find so incredibly frustrating: the part where I can do nothing but watch from the sidelines... the part where I have no choice but to admit that Sam is probably **_not_** the only one around here who has yet to come to terms with the fact that she can't control absolutely everything around her.


	3. Chapter 3: Going Home

**_For notes, warnings and disclaimers see chapter 1_**

****Chapter 3: Going Home  
(Daniel's POV)

It's been a very long week since the gate malfunctioned and Janet has finally cleared me to go home --which is kind of ironic considering that she allowed me to travel all the way down to Antarctica, but then again she was coming with us on that one-- though the truth is that since I woke up in the infirmary I've hardly had time to breathe. The search for Sam and Jack was too important and --even though she wanted me to stay on base-- even Janet eventually gave up on nagging me about taking it easy while we were looking for them. In fact that was surprising, seeing how she is not exactly known for backing down but the situation was desperate and I did notice her keeping an eye on me when she thought no one was watching.

The thing is that for the first time since we came back I can finally relax knowing that my friends are safe and that they will both be fine... eventually. That is a relief, especially considering that we had all but given them up for dead... that if it had taken us a little longer to find them we would probably have been too late because we were not the only ones who came dangerously close to giving up.

In fact I'll never forget the scene that greeted me in that cavern, though luckily by the time I got there the rescue team had already confirmed that both Sam and Jack were alive and they were preparing them for transport. I can only imagine what it would have been like to find them lying there, not moving, not knowing whether they were dead or alive... in fact just thinking about what might have been is enough to send shivers down my spine.

I guess that is one of the reasons why I was in no hurry to be allowed to go home, because as long as I remained on base I was close to them, because as long as I remained on base I could always sneak into the infirmary with one excuse or another... and I suspect that I was also driving Janet and the nurses crazy in the process, which in turn might explain why Janet decided to kick me out, to order me to go home and spend a night in my own bed... whether I want to or not.

That is what brought me here, to the side of the road wondering which way to go... because I admit I almost turned left. That's what I've been doing these past few weeks, that's where 'home' has been lately and that is what threw me because the truth is that to go home I have to turn right. There's no point in me going back to Sam's place, not while she is in the infirmary but by now it is something I do without giving it much thought. The thing is that that is something that is going to have to change, and I don't mean just because Sam is not there tonight but also because I suspect that the time has come for me to consider the possibility of going back to my own place.

After all, I knew when I first moved in with her that it was a temporary measure at best and now I realize that its time has come and gone. I am certainly enjoying the company, that is true --and so far Sam hasn't said or done anything to suggest that she wants me out of there-- but my presence at her place no longer serves any real purpose and I know it. I mean, SG-1 is back on duty --or at least it was before this latest incident-- Sam is doing fine and even our guidelines are complete so it's time for us to go back to normal, it's time for me to go home before I overstay my welcome... the only problem is that I'm not looking forward to it, not like I thought I would be.

Sure, most of my books are in my apartment --though a significant number of them have managed to make their way to Sam's house in recent weeks and just as many are back at the base-- but other than that I have nothing to go home to. In fact in these past few weeks I've gotten used to not being alone... not that I was all that used to it before that. That was one of the main reasons why I ended up spending so many nights at the mountain before Janet asked me to keep an eye on Sam: because I **_didn't_** want to be alone, because the base never sleeps and that was sort of comforting.

To me being home meant being reminded that Sha're was no longer with me and that was more painful than I cared to acknowledge. At least when I was at the mountain I could literally work until I dropped and then maybe, if I could muster the energy to do so, stumble a few steps to my quarters. That was oddly reassuring, it kept me from thinking too much, it kept me from dwelling on what had happened on both Abydos and Chulak and then that comfort was replaced by Sam's presence only now Sam is spending the night at the infirmary and I'm heading home, back to my empty apartment.

I know it's only for a few days, I know that as soon as Sam is released I'll be heading back to her place, at least until I can be sure that she is fully recovered from this latest adventure, but then I'm going to find myself all out of excuses and I'm dreading it. I'm supposed to be there to help her but she is ready to go back to normal and I know she won't be able to do that with me hanging around... in fact I can't help but wonder whether or not I've helped at all, especially since we were cleared for gate travel.

Sure, the guidelines were an interesting project, they enabled us to focus on some dangers we hadn't even considered until it was already too late and they also made it possible for Sam to understand what had happened to her a little better --or at least I hope they did-- but the truth is that these past couple of weeks there has been no real reason for me to stay there, not any more. I just stayed with her because it was comfortable, because we were settled into our little routine and we were in no hurry to change it.

The thing is that Sam is one of my best friends and I'm going to miss her constant company but I know that the time has come for me to allow her to move on with her life. She is certainly ready to do it, even if that means that I am left with no choice but to go back to my own place.

THE END

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**_Author's notes:_** Hi guys, okay, this is it, the end of _Under Alien Skies_. I know it's been over sixteen months since I started posting this series so the most important thing I have to say is'thank you for sticking with me for so long'. I also wanted to thank you for your encouragement and your feedback, it has been deeply appreciated. As for upcoming projects --in case anyone is interested-- for the time being I'm going to be focusing mostly on _Long Shadows_ (a BSG project) though I do have an idea for an SG-1 oneshot that is unrelated to this universe. I'll probably be posting that one within the next couple of weeks.

Thanks again for taking the time to read this, I know it's been a long journey but I hope it was worth it,

Alec


End file.
